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CD Review: Bob Dylan

Bob DylanDylanColumbia/LegacyBy David Chiu

As a single disc, Dylan, which commemorates Bob Dylan’s 45th anniversary in the recording business, offers no surprises but conveniently encapsulates his entire career up to this point. With a body of work that’s legendary, it’s almost impossible to put all of it in 80 minutes. But if you only had to pick 18 songs, you can’t really argue with the track selection, drawing mostly from his ‘60s zenith: “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “Like a Rolling Stone,” “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” “Just Like a Woman,” “Mr. Tambourine Man,” and “Positively 4th Street.” The ‘70s is represented with the classic “Tangled Up and Blue” and bypasses the ‘80s, his most mixed decade creatively. It picks up with his late ‘90s rebirth with “Make You Feel My Love,” and last year’s “Somebody’s Baby” off of the excellent Modern Times. Dylan is a convenient sampler but the simultaneously released 3-CD set, also called Dylan, covers far more ground judging by its track list.